WhatsApp Replies for Cafes and Restaurants

This workflow automates customer inquiries via WhatsApp for restaurants, replacing manual responses that consume 10+ hours weekly for staff handling 50+ daily messages. It processes incoming messages, validates inputs, generates keyword-based replies (e.g., menu, hours, reservations), logs interactions, and responds via Twilio. Key nodes include Webhook (WhatsApp Trigger) for receiving messages, IF (Input Validator) for ensuring valid inputs, Function (Restaurant Logic) for keyword detection and response creation, Postgres (Conversation Logger) for storing interactions, and RespondToWebhook (Response Sender) for sending replies. It benefits small to medium restaurants (5-15 staff) with $500K-$5M revenue, handling 50-200 daily customer queries, reducing response time by 70% and improving customer satisfaction.\n\nSaves 8 hours/week on 50+ inquiries, boosting efficiency by 70%. Ideal for cafes, diners, or small chains in hospitality. Requires Twilio WhatsApp API ($0.005/message), Postgres (free tier), n8n ($20/month cloud). Scalable to 500 messages/day; needs stable internet.\n\nInstall n8n via cloud.n8n.io or self-host (docker run -it --rm -p 5678:5678 n8nio/n8n). Get Twilio account at twilio.com; set WhatsApp API key in Webhook node auth. Create Postgres DB at supabase.com; configure in Postgres node. Set webhook URL in Twilio dashboard.\n\nTest with POST {From: 'whatsapp:+1234567890', Body: 'menu'}; verify response XML. Errors: 401 (invalid Twilio key, regenerate), 429 (rate limit, add delay). Activate workflow in n8n; monitor logs. Maintain with weekly DB checks, Twilio credit top-ups. Optimize: update Function node keywords for specific menu items.", "businessValue": "Saves 8 hours/week on 50+ inquiries with 70% faster responses", "setupTime": "30-45 minutes", "difficulty": "Beginner", "requirements": ["Twilio WhatsApp API ($0.005/message)", "Postgres DB (free tier)", "n8n cloud ($20/month) or self-hosted", "Stable internet"], "useCase": "Automating customer service for restaurant inquiries via WhatsApp"